One for the Angels
by cause.A.scene
Summary: A tag/companion to "Extreme Prejudice" because there's so much I wish we could have seen. Fills in blanks and adds to what we got. Focuses on the team because, in the search for Dearing, I really missed them. Spoilers for 10X1.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Hello, NCIS fandom. This will be my first venture into your world, though I have been a fan since day one. I don't know why it's taken me so long to write one of these but it may have to do with the fact that the season opener had **so much** _**potential**._ I just couldn't leave it alone. I've read several other stories similar to mine so if any of you are offended by similarities, just know I started writing this before I read anyone else's.

**Warnings and Thoughts: **This is basically a companion with _slight _changes. Mostly this story fills in missing scenes from the premier and maaaaybe amplifies a few aspects. For the most part, though, it's cannon to what actually happened. That being said, there are major spoilers from 10X1 so keep that in mind. Otherwise... maybe a few mild swear words and topics (injuries) but nothing you wouldn't see in the actual show. That's kind of my policy. Finally, I jump alternate POV's but it's always clearly separated and stated whose eyes your seeing things through. Just wanted to give a fair warning ;)

Anyway, I hope others enjoy it and that's about it!

* * *

In hindsight, it may have been a better idea to get out sooner. It wasn't that Timothy McGee liked danger or racing against time, he simply knew the importance of securing the information on Dearing, especially now that everything was progressing so quickly. However, as he felt burning shards of glass pierce his body as he went airborne, he couldn't help but acknowledge the irony that he was going to die trying to get information that, most likely, no one would ever see.

But as his body slammed into the unsteady ground, those thoughts immediately became pictures of the people he most cared about. His family, yes, but given that his closest friends were all in the same building, Tim felt as though the weight of the world came crashing down on him along with parts of the room itself. Were they okay? Abby, Tony, Ziva, Gibbs…

He could feel parts of his body erupting in pain and wondered what was happening to him but ultimately decided it didn't really matter. As the heat from the blast worked to soothe him in an unexpected way, McGee allowed himself to fade away with one final hope that even if he was taking his last breaths, everyone else he cared about would be okay.

* * *

The moments following the blast were _not_ a blur. Gibbs had been through enough situations like this to keep a clear head and a clear goal. He had to protect Abby and as he felt her squirm beneath him, he knew she was alive, if nothing else. He rolled away from her, hearing the glass crunch with his movements and took a quick inventory of his own body. Pleased to see that everything seemed to be in working order, he pushed himself up until he was finally on his feet. He swayed for a moment with the sudden head rush, but he knew he had to get Abby out of there.

He looked down and realized that while the worst visible injuries on her were some shallow cuts, she did seem to be in shock. Feeling the heat of the fire in the SUV still burning and the fact that the building could be highly unstable, he unfortunately didn't have time to ease her out of her current state.

"Come on, Abby," he said quickly as he grabbed her arms and pulled her up. She stumbled and seemed to be trying to focus, which was a good sign. "We have to get out of here."

She scrunched her eyes up for a minute but wouldn't move. "Where…? Everyone…?"

"We'll find them, Abs," he stated firmly, not giving himself the opportunity to question that statement, "But we gotta go. Now."

As he half pushed her out of the building, he was thoroughly pleased to see nobody else in that part of the structure. That meant chances were good that there were minimal causalities, also meaning that his team had a good chance.

As soon as they made it outside, however, chaos surrounded them. Sirens were already filling the air as various rescue and response vehicles barreled in. There were people everywhere, some untouched, others bleeding from assorted injuries. Most of the injuries around them seemed to be fairly superficial but Gibbs was also vaguely aware of more seriously wounded victims as well.

Gibbs continued on and pushed Abby forward to a spot far enough from the building that she would be safe and had her sit down. She looked utterly lost but after doing a more thorough look at her, he felt more certain that she had received no major damage.

Gibbs turned away from her then and took in his surroundings more carefully. It seemed like rescue vehicles were still pulling up on a near-constant basis. Listening closer, Gibbs could hear a helicopter approaching. He knew the SecNav would be arriving shortly and knew that the general chaos that filled the air would not be dying down for a while.

Gibbs turned back to Abby.

"Abs, you with me?" he asked her as softly as he could, trying to silence the sense of urgency that was wanting to push through.

She looked up at him with deeply troubled eyes and nodded in response. And, as much as it pained him to leave her like this, he knew she was currently beyond his help and he still desperately needed to find the rest of his team.

"I have to go," he told her calmly, "I have to find the others."

She looked away from him then and nodded again. He couldn't quite get a read on her and that worried him. He quickly kneeled down before her and waited until her eyes met his.

"It'll be okay, Abby."

She bit her bottom lip then shook her head and replied, "You don't know that. You see that?" she continued, gesturing to the badly damaged building behind her. "If Tony and Ziva and Tim were in there… They're probably d…"

"Enough, Abby," Gibbs interrupted. He knew she was hurting and knew she was caught up in a dark place, but they needed hope right now more than anything.

"We do not give up on them, you understand me?" he stated with more force than before.

She stared at him for a moment before nodding. "Go," she said simply, "Find them."

Gibbs grabbed her shoulder and said, "Have someone check you out ASAP," before beginning his search around the perimeter of the building.

* * *

**End Note: **So, as I said and as you can see, it's mostly filling in things that we either didn't see or can't really see in the show itself. Sometimes it will be actual scenes from the episode, mostly it's things we didn't see but could have happened. Also, this chapter was short but don't be misled... the story is already at 6 thousand words and I'm still going strong. Finally, if you haven't noticed, I'm a McGee fan and yes, I was highly upset with how the so-called "storyline" in this episode played out for him. So... I had to write this to fix it in my own mind. Anyway, thanks for reading and expect another chapter soonish!


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **_Getting the next one out quite early but it was ready so I thought why not? A big thank you to everyone who read and an extra thank you to those of you who reviewed! You don't know how much they mean to me so thanks a bunch!_

_Again, the main thing about this story is that I did try to stay cannon but there are minor tweaks. Regardless, the idea was to fill in holes as opposed to creating this brand new magnificent story so if that's what you're looking for, you probably won't find it here._

_Also, I don't do romances. Obviously, there are dynamics in the show and I don't avoid them, but you won't see me going the romance route with any of them. Again, my general guidelines when writing (or reading, for that matter) is to keep my stories like the episodes so if you wouldn't/haven't seen it in the show, you probably won't see it here. That's basically it._

_So again, thank you and I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

After the bomb had rocked their foundation and sent her and Tony flying to the ground, Ziva found herself focusing on breathing and nothing else for the time being. It wasn't the first time she had been caught in an explosion. It wasn't even the first time she had been stuck in an elevator but now she realized this was the most out of control she had ever felt.

She was definitely sore but she was by no means injured enough to stay down. Quickly, she pushed herself up and, after swaying slightly, watched as Tony began to sit up as well. Satisfied that he was not in any immediate danger, she promptly began looking at their metal confines.

"I see you're alright," Tony coughed sarcastically from the floor.

"As are you," Ziva retorted, though the annoyance in her tone surprised her. She was not mad at him, of course, but Ziva did not like situations like this. She knew there was damage out there, knew her team – _her family_ – were most likely injured or, God forbid…

"Are you going to use your Israeli death-stare to open the door, Ziva?" Tony asked as he positioned himself against the wall, "Because I must say, I don't even think Gibbs, the king of death stares, could pull off a miracle like that."

Ziva clenched her eyes shut and took a deep breath. "Well, excuse me for not being so care-free when our team could be out there bleeding to death."

"Hey," she heard Tony say. It was not loud, but it was a tone that was rarely heard coming from him: serious and somber.

"Don't think I'm unaware of the circumstances here," he continued gravely, and in that moment Ziva could see concern etched firmly in his every feature. "But you know as well as I do that banging around in this metal box may only make things a lot worse for us, and then we'd certainly be no help to any of them. We need a plan."

Ziva sighed and nodded. There was a very good reason why Tony was Gibbs' second in command, even if he didn't always wear that aspect of him on his sleeve.

"You are right," she resigned. "I'm just…"

"Yeah," Tony said as he stood up and looked her in the eye. "Me too."

They had a shared moment that said all of the things they were thinking and feeling without vocally expressing them. After that necessary time in silence, they got back on track and started devising some sort of plan.

* * *

Gibbs was on the brink of having a meltdown but knew it would do no good for anyone. As they were coming up on the two-hour mark since the bomb and Gibbs still had no idea where his three agents were, he was restless to say the least.

Knowing they had to be in the building, he had done everything he could to get in there himself. Unfortunately, the building was not cleared as being structurally sound enough to begin rescue efforts and while he was willing to take the risk of the building coming down on him for his agents, he knew that was also putting them at an unnecessary risk.

Still, if they were able to leave the building on their own, they would have done so already. Clearly, that meant they were trapped, injured or…

"Sir?"

Gibbs turned around and saw a young man in uniform standing before him. "You are Agent Gibbs, correct sir?"

Gibbs noticed then that the young man was holding a phone and suddenly found himself very intrigued. "Yes."

The man held out the phone and said, "Sir, Jimmy Palmer is on the phone for you. He said it was urgent and has been trying to reach you since the attack."

"Thank you, Petty Officer…?"

"Grant, sir."

Gibbs nodded and took the phone. "Gibbs."

"_Oh, thank God," _Palmer's voice sounded, "_Thank God. Is… is everyone else alright?_"

"Abby is okay but I haven't found anyone else yet," Gibbs said quickly, hating that last piece of information. "Are you and Ducky on your way back yet?"

There was a pause on the other end, which made Gibbs very uneasy.

"_That… that's the main reason I'm calling,_" Palmer replied. "_Ducky… he's stable and should make a full recovery but…_"

"But what, Palmer?"

"_He had a mild heart attack upon hearing the news,_" Palmer answered quickly, causing Gibbs' own heart to skip a beat. "_But like I said… he's stable. And he woke up and told me to get back to The Yard so I'm on my way now. But… I wanted you to know._"

Gibbs shut his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. It had been a relief knowing that Ducky and Palmer were gone because that meant he didn't have to worry about them. Now, however, that wasn't even a peace he could enjoy.

"Thanks, Palmer."

With that, he hung up the phone and immediately began heading back to where he left Abby. After rounding the corner and seeing her sitting where he'd left her, now with a medic tending to her, Gibbs sighed in relief. She waved at him and he smiled in return. If nothing else, she was safe.

"Gibbs."

He turned around to see Director Vance coming towards him looking perplexed but otherwise fine. Soon after him, the SecNav joined them. After a few moments of discussion relating to finding Dearing, they were given the news that the building had been cleared. Gibbs could finally go find his team.

He quickly turned away and headed straight for the entrance. He was aware that others, mostly firefighters and paramedics, were joining him, which was something he was thankful for.

He didn't take much notice of damage that lined the now unfamiliar hallways and staircases. As they climbed the stairs carefully, Gibbs was highly pleased to say that they still had not come across one body and found himself praying that would remain the case. After what seemed like days of climbing, they reached his floor.

He walked through, trying not to breathe in the smoke and dust too deeply. His eyes wandered over the place he had called a second home for so many years now. The windows were busted out and glass and debris littered almost every inch of the ground.

Gibbs rounded the corner and, although he first noticed that Tony's cubicle was completely overturned, his eyes then wandered to a small bloodstain on the carpet beside it. He then looked up and was startled to see McGee standing in front of his own desk staring at something that Gibbs apparently couldn't see. But, as Gibbs got nearer, McGee coughed and turned towards him.

"Boss," he greeted quietly.

"You alright?" Gibbs asked as he grabbed the young man's shoulder and immediately felt glass cut his hand. It was no wonder the kid was covered in cuts.

The question seemed to confuse the young agent for a moment but he eventually answered, "Uh yeah, I think so. You?"

Gibbs sighed and looked around the severely damaged office and suddenly wondered where McGee had been that allowed him to go relatively uninjured. Still, there would be time for that later.

"Where's Tony and Ziva?"

"Um, the elevator," Tim answered, his voice sounding raspy suddenly and his breathing slightly labored. Gibbs found himself wondering if McGee had sustained any injuries to his lungs. But before Gibbs could dwell longer on the idea, Tim added, "Workers are on it."

Gibbs picked up the phone on his desk but wasn't surprised to find it was dead.

"Feels really warm in here," Gibbs heard McGee mumble. He looked up and saw Tim starting to stumble forward a bit. "I think I'm gonna go get some fresh air."

Gibbs watched as McGee began to take off his jacket, which immediately brought Gibbs' eyes to something that didn't look quite right. It couldn't be…

"Hey, stop," Gibbs stated as he began making his way towards an even more confused McGee.

"What?"

The senior agent slowly pulled McGee's jacket open and realized that Gibbs had, very unfortunately, been correct. Protruding from the kid's lower left abdomen was a large shard a glass. As the bloodstain on McGee's white shirt spread ever so slightly by the second, Gibbs remembered the bloodstain on the carpet. How long had McGee been lying there?

Their eyes met again and Gibbs could see the worry in the young man's face that no doubt mirrored his own.

"Uh oh," McGee uttered as he stumbled slightly.

Gibbs instinctively put a hand on the younger man's shoulder in an attempt to steady him but quickly realized it was a losing battle. Sure enough, a moment later McGee's head dipped and his knees buckled. Gibbs quickly supported most of the his body weight as he lowered him to the ground.

"We need some help!" Gibbs yelled before hovering above Tim's face.

"Hey, McGee," Gibbs called, seeing the agent's eyes start to roll back and his lids droop more and more. "No, Tim. You have to stay awake, okay? You've made it this far, you have to stay with me."

Gibbs was vaguely aware that a few other people now surrounded him but what he hadn't expected was a very familiar female gasp.

He turned quickly and saw that Abby had managed to find her way up there and was now staring, completely bewildered and shocked, at the sight before them. Gibbs knew Tim and Abby had a special friendship and knew this was the last thing she needed in her already delicate state.

With one last glance that served to reassure Gibbs that Tim was being helped, he got up and took Abby into his arms while turning her away from McGee. Truthfully, he did not know how severe the wound was but, as he watched the medics tear open McGee's shirt and begin securing the piece of glass, Gibbs knew that she did not need to see any of it, even if McGee was going to be just fine.

"Gibbs…" he heard her sob, but she did not fight the arrangement.

Just then, there was a nasty cough and Gibbs could no longer stop Abby from turning to look at McGee. Unfortunately it was just in time to see a small amount of blood spattered on Tim's cheek.

"Give him some oxygen," one of the medics ordered while he strapped McGee onto the backboard.

"We have to get him to Bethesda now," the same medic yelled. "We may be looking at respiratory arrest any minute. Let's go, let's go!"

Gibbs let the still sobbing Abby go as he followed them towards the exit.

"What's wrong with him?" Gibbs demanded as he raced after them.

"I don't know," one of the men answered, slowing only enough to take the stairs safely. "But I'm worried about his lungs."

Gibbs followed them all the way out of the building and got as close to McGee as he could while they worked to put him in the back of the ambulance.

"You're going to be fine, McGee," he stated and he grabbed the younger man's hand. "You hear me?"

Just before they pushed him into the vehicle, Gibbs felt McGee's hand tighten around his own. He watched them for a moment but frowned when, all of the sudden, McGee's hand began swinging as though he was trying to get their attention.

"What's the matter?" Gibbs demanded, his heart racing even more now. "What's wrong?"

But the medics seemed just as confused. The one who was about to shut the doors stopped and they all watched as McGee pulled something out of his pocket and, with trembling hands, gave it to the medic. The man stared at it for a second then, after McGee removed his oxygen mask and coughed "Gibbs," the object was quickly handed over.

Gibbs immediately recognized it as one of those computer sticks that stored information. A USB drive. He looked up again but realized the doors were now closed and the ambulance was pulling away. Gibbs focused again on the small object and realized it must have been why McGee was still in the bullpen when the bomb went off. He wrapped it safely in his hand, knowing that it may represent one of the last acts of Timothy McGee.

Gibbs shook his head, chastising himself for thinking that way. Then, for a split second he debated where he was needed most: the hospital with McGee or back inside to find his other two agents. That, however, did not last long. As bad off as McGee may or may not be, Gibbs knew he was with the only people who could help him. Tony and Ziva, on the other hand, were still big question marks in his mind. Why they had gotten on an elevator during a bomb threat was beyond him, but it didn't matter. He needed to know how the entire team was before he focused on any one of them.

Without further delay, Gibbs ran back into the building.

* * *

**EN: **_Oh, McGee. Anyway, I thought it may be fun to write why I'm writing the things I am based on what we saw in the episode so... here are this chapter's insights:_

_1) I wanted to see Tony and Ziva's initial reactions. I wanted something a little darker, but also something hinting at their concern for their team. I like seeing Tony slightly more serious and Ziva a little less in control._

_2) Tim's injury and recovery were a joke overall so much of this story is dedicated to that. Plain and simple._

_3) Why make McGee stay behind to get information - risking his life - if said information never gets brought up again? So, this chapter (and following ones) will address that more._

_4) As I said, I'm not a shipper but Abby and McGee definitely have a strong friendship and they haven't played on that at all this season so far so this chapter kind of begins a little mini storyline I'm doing with Abby (that subsequently follows her general non-Abby like self in the first two episodes)._

_So there are the little reasons why. I don't know if that was remotely interesting to anyone but it also helps me comment on the episode, which I love doing. Haha so thanks again and expect the next one in the next couple of days!_


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **Well, it took a little while but here's the next one. It's the longest yet and again, keep in mind that I wrote this to feel in blanks while trying to stay as close to the episode as possible. That has made me make decisions that I normally wouldn't but it's also kind of fun to try to write under constraints.

* * *

There were definitely worse places to be trapped and worse people to be trapped with following a major explosion. Tony was well aware of that. Still, it had been far from pleasant as the time had passed and they both tried to avoid talking about what they both feared. The topic of death had come up, sure, but neither let the dark thoughts that kept trying to rise to the surface prevail. They simply couldn't do that to themselves or each other.

Instead, they had tried to escape for a while but realized their attempts were futile. Finally, they had heard rescuers banging around and knew they would be saved any time now. They just had to wait.

Tony had tried to communicate with them, hoping to get any sort of information, but it was nearly impossible to hear. So instead, he and Ziva had resorted to simply talking. It was hot and terribly uncomfortable, but they were both safe and Tony knew that was a blessing in and of itself.

However, when he felt the elevator lurch slightly and the doors finally give way, to say that he was thrilled would be an understatement. He and Ziva both crawled forward towards the growing gap that gave way to a very destroyed squad room.

Tony, however, did not spend too much time observing the room as his eyes almost immediately darted to Abby and Gibbs who were both standing behind the firefighters. Abby pushed forward then so that she was right in front of the gap. Her eyes were red and swollen, her face wore a somber smile but she looked alarmingly blank otherwise. That being said, she seemed to be okay.

"Abby, I have never been so happy to see your gorgeous face," Ziva exclaimed from beside him.

Abby reached out to grab both Ziva and Tony's hands. "You're both okay."

Tony frowned and could tell something was wrong, but he nodded and grinned. He then looked passed her and focused on Gibbs. "Good to see you too, Boss! Now, I don't know about Ziva, but I'm ready to get out so…"

He gestured towards the opened door, motioning for Ziva to go first. She smiled quickly and allowed the firefighter to help her out. As Tony followed suit, he could hear Gibbs addressing Ziva.

"Are you both okay?"

"Yes," she answered as Tony's feet hit the ground. "You?"

"I'm fine," he said quietly in his stoic, Gibbs way.

Tony took a deep breath and looked around the destroyed room.

"Damn," he breathed quietly. There was debris everywhere, overturned furniture and busted computer screens. He walked forward and could almost feel his lungs being filled with dust. Everyone in the room seemed to be okay but Tony imagined all of the deceased and injured would have been taken away already.

"How is everybody?" Tony asked then as he laid his hand on McGee's trashed desk. "McGee, the Director…?"

It had been a question he and Ziva had been dying to know the answer to for the past four hours or so but had been deprived of. Now, while he was terrified to hear bad news, the thought of not knowing was even worse.

"The Director is fine," Gibbs answered simply, but it was the pause that followed that sent fear running down Tony's spine. He glanced at Ziva who looked equally as concerned, then to Abby who hugged Bert tighter.

"And McGee?" Ziva questioned.

"Hospital," Gibbs replied. "He was in here when it happened."

Tony's scanned the room until his eyes caught a small bloodstain beside his own overturned desk. Suddenly, he felt sick to his stomach.

"How bad?" Ziva asked, a question Tony was grateful she was able to articulate, as he apparently couldn't.

Gibbs sighed and turned away after replying with a weary, "I don't know." He then wrapped an arm around Abby and led her towards the exit. "For now, we help any way we can."

"Boss… McGee?" Tony asked, knowing how dire their current situation was with a terrorist on the loose but still… It was Tim.

Gibbs stopped and turned to face him and Ziva just as they reached the stairs. "Tim is in surgery and we have some things to do first."

Tony nodded then proceeded to follow them down the stairs. This sort of thing had to be the worst part of their job; having a man down but trying to focus on work instead. Tony sighed as they stepped outside and his lungs greedily took in the slightly cleaner air. It was all he could do not to dwell on McGee. Gibbs hadn't said much and Tony didn't want to pry. He figured Gibbs didn't want to further upset Abby or… or maybe things were much worse and Gibbs just didn't want to say it.

"Gibbs, I should be at the hospital," Abby stated quietly, though Tony was surprised to hear a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"Soon," Gibbs replied, then held up a small black object.

"Is that a flash drive?" Abby questioned.

"McGee gave it to me before they took him away," Gibbs answered, which provided some relief for Tony. If nothing else, McGee had been awake. That had to be a good sign, right?

"That must have been why he was still up there," Ziva added as they made their across the debris-littered grass. "When Tony and I left to evacuate the building, McGee was supposed to be leaving right then. I had no idea he stayed behind."

Tony felt his stomach tie in knots at that comment. Tim had always been his Probie… he was supposed to look out for him, not leave him behind while he got everyone else out of the building. Tony sighed and found himself wishing McGee hadn't tried to be the hero.

They made their way to the FBI bus, which was apparently acting as a temporary command center. Inside was Fornell and Vance, both standing in front of a wall of computer screens showing off Dearing's ugly mug. Vance observed him and Ziva before turning to Gibbs.

"Agent McGee?" Vance asked, his expression grave but direct.

"Hospital."

Tony saw the look that was exchanged between them and, judging by the look on Gibbs' face, knew that McGee was in trouble. Tony reached out and grabbed a chair to lean on, feeling slightly dizzy all of the sudden. He was overwhelmed, to say the least. He wanted desperately to rush to the hospital and check on his friend but at the same time, he was terrified to do so.

"I told him to get out…" the Director said, guilt written across his face. Tony shook his head at the comment. Why, Tim? Everyone, including the Director of NCIS, had ordered him to leave. Why did he have to stay…?

"He gave me this," Gibbs said as he handed over the flash drive. Vance looked at it for a moment with an almost excited expression before handing it to one of the computer techs.

Almost instantly, several windows began to pop up, all relating to Dearing. Inwardly, Tony felt a rush of pride hit him.

"Thank God," Fornell exclaimed as he took in the screens before him. "We thought we would be starting over from scratch. Looks like the kid was way ahead of us."

Tony saw Gibbs and Vance smile proudly. And while Tony felt it too, his thoughts were quickly replaced with those of fear. He just hoped he'd be able to congratulate - and chastise - Tim himself.

"What can we do, Leon?"

Vance turned to face Gibbs again and Tony saw a strange mixture of guilt and pride in the dark features, "You and your team have given enough for one day. Go home, Gibbs. Or to Bethesda."

Gibbs looked like he might protest for a moment, which somewhat annoyed Tony. He knew Gibbs cared deeply for everyone on the team but Gibbs was also the type to look at the bigger picture; the bigger picture being a massive terrorist attack, search and rescue efforts and, of course, the attempt to hunt down the man responsible for it all. Tony understood that but, then again, he wanted to be selfish and think of his friend, not the whole world.

"That's an order, Agent Gibbs," the Director added before anyone else could say anything. "We have every agency here working on the rescue efforts and hunting down Dearing. This information will only help that along. Tomorrow, you can join the efforts but today, you leave and keep me updated on Agent McGee and Dr. Mallard's status."

Tony frowned as he wondered why the Director had mentioned Ducky but assumed it was a matter of waiting for the senior medical examiner to return from Palmer's wedding.

"I will see you tomorrow," Gibbs replied as he walked out the door.

Both Tony and Ziva nodded, silently promising that they both would be back the next day. Tony only hoped that the new day would bring hope instead of more despair.

Ziva was quite certain her heart had migrated up to her throat and was currently trying to beat its way out. She was terrified to say the very least. The day had been terrible in so many ways but now, as she sat in the back seat of the SUV, she couldn't help but inwardly curse Gibbs for driving so slowly. She _needed _to know McGee was okay. Needed to know he was even alive.

Apart from the unbearable fear that plagued her, searing hatred pulsed through her veins like a rampant disease. She wanted Dearing's head on a platter and she wanted to be the one to serve it up. He had done too much; killed too many. And now he had hurt McGee.

But with the thought of her young friend, her mood rapidly returned to intense concern once more. It was _McGee, _for crying out loud! He did not get hurt… He stayed on the computer and spouted out facts and information like Tony did with movie lines and trivia. But he was never injured… never in danger…

But that was a silly thought. Of course he was always in danger just as much as the rest of them. Their jobs were dangerous, after all, and that applied to McGee as well even if he had managed to go relatively unscathed thus far. Clearly everyone ran out of luck at some point or other.

Ziva took a deep breath and wrung her hands together. She couldn't stand sitting in the enclosed space anymore. She was so done with small areas.

Just then, she felt her phone vibrate, making her jump slightly. She took it out and frowned when she saw a number she didn't recognize. She considered not answering it for a moment, but the curiosity got the better of her.

"Agent David."

"_This is Agent Ziva David with NCIS?_" The soft female voice on the other end questioned.

"Yes," Ziva replied, only maintaining her semi-pleasantness because the woman did seem to be kind enough.

"_Fantastic,_" the woman replied, sounding genuinely pleased to have reached Ziva. "_I am Nurse Tanner at Bathesda, calling on behalf of Agent Timothy McGee._"

Ziva's heart skipped a beat and she quickly switched the phone to speaker before asking, "How is he?" Ziva saw everyone looking at her now, even Gibbs glanced back through the mirror.

"_He is alive,_" she replied simply, "_He recently woke up after his surgery and has refused to take any sort of medication until he knew his team was alright. We have called a couple numbers but you were the first to answer. So, could you help us both out and give me an update on his team?_"

Ziva faltered for a moment and looked at everyone else, who seemed to have a similar expression. "W-we are all fine. All of us," she said quickly. "We are on our way to see him now."

"Tell him to listen to his doctors," Gibbs ordered sternly and loud enough to be heard.

"_Did you hear that, Timothy?_" the woman said, making Ziva smile. Knowing that the woman was speaking to a conscious McGee made her unbelievably happy. "_Your team is fine and you've been ordered to listen to us by…."_

"Gibbs," Tony said with a smile. "Gibbs ordered it so he'll do it."

There was a slight pause and in that moment, Ziva decided that she really liked this Nurse Tanner.

"_As for you guys,_" Nurse Tanner continued, "_You're more than welcome to come on up here but you won't be able to see him. Now that he finally agrees to take some painkillers, he will be out for the rest of the night. Besides, visiting hours are over in five minutes._"

"We can not see him at all?" Ziva asked, suddenly not as pleased with the nurse.

"_I'm sorry but we are overwhelmed here, as you may imagine, so everything is by the books until further notice. We are just too slammed to try and keep an extra eye on the patients. However, I assure you Agent McGee is in the very best hands and you can all be up here early in the morning if you'd like and visit however long you want. _"

"Wait, so McGee has to stay the night?" Abby asked uncertainly.

"_I'm afraid so,_" the nurse responded, her voice softer. "_Perhaps even longer. His doctor will be able to tell you more tomorrow but he has certainly suffered a great trauma and will need to be under observation for…_"

There was a pause and then they could all hear the nurse chatting with someone but couldn't quite make out what was being said. Finally, there was a sigh and Nurse Tanner said, "_Fine._"

Another short pause was soon followed by a weak, "_Hey…_"

A smile immediately returned to Ziva's face as McGee's voice – though clearly tired and pained – filled the vehicle.

"Why haven't you been doing what you're told, McGee?" Gibbs reprimanded, though Ziva could see the slightest hint of a grin on his face.

"_Sorry… boss,_" McGee replied, though he seemed to be out of breath. "_I had to know… everyone was… okay._"

"What's wrong with you, McPuff the Magic Dragon?" Tony asked, earning a glare from Ziva although it was a question that interested her as well. He definitely didn't sound right.

"_I'm… fine,_" he replied, his voice getting more and more distant, "_They're giving me… something and… I…_"

Silence filled the SUV once again as they all waited to hear what the young agent was saying. However, the voice they heard next was definitely not McGee's.

"_Aaand he's out. Finally," _Nurse Tanner said suddenly, _"You don't know how long we've been fighting him on this. So, thank you for that."_

"He is okay, though, yes?" Ziva asked once more for clarification.

"_Well, I'm not his doctor but basically we need to get an eye on him. The surgery went well and his lungs seem to be holding up well enough but we just want to make sure it all stays that way._"

Ziva took a deep breath. Surgery and lungs… That already seemed like too much.

"_Seriously though, it would be a waste of time to come here today,_" the nurse continued. "_He will be awake tomorrow and things will be less chaotic then as well. I imagine you all need the rest anyway so, go home and sleep._"

"Thank you, Nurse," Gibbs said from the driver's seat as he pulled into the parking lot of a diner. Ziva thanked the nurse as well then hung up. She had certainly wanted to see McGee for herself but she was still glad to know that he was seemingly alright. Clearly, with the mood in the vehicle now far lighter, the feeling seemed mutual.

Ziva looked around at everyone and was thoroughly pleased to see their content faces. Well, Gibbs and Tony seemed relatively content. Abby, on the other hand, was staring out her window as she held her stuffed hippo in a chokehold. Ziva frowned and wondered why she hadn't seemed happy to hear the good news. She hadn't even seemed happy to hear McGee actually talk to them. If anything, she had almost seemed scared.

Before Ziva could think about it much more, Gibbs opened his door and got out.

"Boss?" Tony asked, mirroring Ziva's confusion.

Gibbs glanced behind him at the diner and replied simply, "I'm hungry."

Ziva glanced at Abby, who started getting out of the vehicle almost robotically, then to Tony who smiled.

"A diner," he said happily. "Like in the 1990 Robert De Niro film, _Goodfellas. _The diner scenes were basically a safe haven because no one got whacked in the diner."

Ziva smiled as she followed them into the joint. She knew his movie trivia was just Tony being Tony, but there was something about today's movie link that seemed appropriate. A diner seemed appropriate. Well, except for the fact that McGee wasn't there but other than that, a cheap dinner was perhaps exactly what they needed to end such a terrible day.

* * *

**EN: **So again, some of the decisions here aren't normal for me at all but... just trying to stay cannon. And here are some of my reasons:

- It REALLY bothered me that Abby seemed so peppy when she saw Tony and Ziva but completely somber/angry every other time. You can explain it with shock and all of that, but it still didn't sit right with me.

- The fact that Gibbs was at shown at home that night and no one else was seen (or referred to as being with) Tim, I wanted to think of a reason why, hence the phone call and Nurse Tanner.

- Tim's current state is also key to going along with what happened in the episode and will also help with the direction that I'm going.

**Note - the next chapter will probably be the first that really branches off from the episode as it more or less occurs during those six week time gaps.

Finally, thank you very much for everyone who has been reading and a bigger thank you to anyone who reviews. It really helps motivate me knowing that people actually care and want more of what I'm writing. Either way, thank you all! I don't know how long the next one will take as I work 32+ hours and week and I'm a full time student. Time is limited. But it will happen :)


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